Combating fires is an inherently dangerous effort. Firefighters working within a building or on the ground are routinely exposed to unpredictable, dynamic, and life threatening conditions. A particularly alarming situation can arise when rapidly changing or aggressive conditions result in the loss of an escape route. In an entrapment situation, personnel are caught by the dynamics of an advancing fire, and it is possible that their only chance of survival is the use of an emergency fire shelter. Emergency fire shelters were developed starting in the late 1950's as a last resort one person tent, which was designed primarily to repel thermal radiation and trap breathable air. Several alterations to the original design have been made over the years, including a major retrofit in 2001.
The fire shelter currently in use by the United States Forest Service is called the M2002. The M2002 performs very well as a reflector of thermal radiation. FIG. 1 illustrates the design of the existing M2002 fire tent. The current M2002 is designed like a tent so the shelter walls are not in direct contact with the firefighter inside.
A lightweight flexible thermal protection system is provided herein which presents improvements to existing thermal protection system state of art. Other features and advantages will become apparent upon a reading of the attached specification, in combination with a study of the drawings.